Engine foundation structure



July 15, 1958 T, v, PEDERSEN 2,842,955

ENGINE FOUNDATION STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 13. 1953 ATTX 2,842,955 PatentedJuly 15, 1958 ice ENGINE FOUNDATION STRUCTURE Tage V. Pedersen, Roscoe,Ill., assignor to Fairbanks, Morse & C0., Chicago, Ill., a corporationof liiiinois Application November 13, 1953, Serial No. 391,987

1 Claim. (Cl. 72-77) fThis invention relates to improvements infoundation mounting of `operating mechanism or apparatus as internalcombustion engines, and has particular reference toifimprovements in themounting location and mounting securement of such mechanisms as engines,on foundation structures provided therefor. A Instationary mounting ofinternal combustion engines for example, it is the usual practice toprovide a foundation "structure usually of suitable concrete material,to receive thenbed frame or base member of the engine tobeimountedvthereon. In such foundation structures, the engineframemember. is secured to the foundation as by 'suitable bolts or studlelements which are anchored in -tlre foundation vby `embedment in theconcrete at the time of foundation formation. It is al-so known to seatthe frame member Von the concrete foundation through fan linterveningfinish layer of so-called grouting material which is an aggregateincluding iron particles, suitable "for `bondingwith concrete. As hasbeen found in practice, particularly in connection with relatively largevfoundation structures, where the major length of the stud elements isconfined by rigid engagement with the surrounding con-crete material andgrouting layer of the foundation, not only the stud elements but thefoundation structure is subject to very considerable stressing inconsequence of appreciable relative expansion and contraction of'the`base member and the foundation structure. This has resulted in a`loosening of the stud nuts fin engagement with the base member, and attimes in breakage of stud elements `and cracking of the foundation.Accordingly, it is the principal purpose of the present invention toafford an improved foundation mounting arrangement which will avoid theforegoing disadvantages.

'ln accomplishing .this purpose, it is an object of the invention Ytoprovide a foundation structure having stud elements anchored in theconcrete foundation and having an lnterme'diate-flength of each studelement between its anchored endporti'on andthe end thereof projectingbeyond the grouting layer, laterally supported by means characterizedby'limited yieldability, whereby to permit a correspondingly limitedilexure of the stud element to accommodate -relative expansion andcontraction of the base member and 'the foundation structure.

`A further important object of the invention is to provide man improvedfoundation Vstructure as above 'characterized, means 'for determiningthe desired location of th'ebas'e member on 'the foundation and formaintaining the base mem-ber in such location. In the presentembodiment, this objective is accomplished by cooperating orinterengaging means provided partly in the base member and partly in thegrouting layer of the foundation, serving in interengagement, toproperly locate the base member on the foundation and to anchor the basemember against inordinate displacement longitudinally on the foundation.

These and other objects and advantages afforded by the presentinvention, will appear readily from the following description of apresently preferred embodiment as 'exemplified in the accompanyingdrawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a view in longitudinal elevation at one side of an internalcombustion engine, showing the engine on a foundation mounting structureincorporating the present improvements.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional elevation transversely through theengine base member and the foundation structure, the section being takenalong line 2--2 in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view as taken along the line 3-3 inFig. 2.

While the presently improved base vmounting foundation construction ishere illustrated in Fig. l, as applied to the mounting of an internalcombustion engine designated generally by the numeral 10, it is to beunderstood that the foundation construction is fully applicable to thefoundation support of bed plate or base mounted machinery and apparatusgenerally.

Referring first to Fig. l, the engine 10 provides a crankcase structureinciuding a crankcase bottom lor base member 11 for mounting on thefoundation structure generally indicated by the reference numeral 12.The engine `base member 11 is secured to the 4foundation at a pluralityof points, as at 14, longitudinally on each side of the base member andin a presently improved manner hereinafter to be described. Importantlyalso, the base member l1 is locatedfindesired mounted position on the`foundation and constrained to such position by cooperating elements 15and 16 at each side of the base member, 'provided respectively, on thebase member and `on the foundation. These locating elements will bedescribed presently.

As shown by Figs. 2 and 3, the base member 11 which may be of suitablemetallic material, as a cast iron member, is formed to provide mountingflanges 18 1ongitudinally of the member on opposite sides thereof, and aplurality of apertured mounting stud bosses 19 "relatively spaced alongeach ange 18. 0n each ange and preferably near the longitudinal centerof the flange is a flange de-format'ionor offset portion Z0 defining arecess 22 in the flange open to the undersidevZS thereof. The off-set2t) and recess 22 provided thereby, constitute the locating element 15hereinbefoie mentioned.

The foundation structure 12 includes a formed lfoundation block 24 whichmay be of suitable concrete material, providing opposite raised sections26 extending longitudinally of the block and suitably spaced vapart inaccordancewith the spacing of the :flanges 1S transversely of the basemember 11. In forming the block 24, =arplu rality of tubular or pipeelements 27 are vertically set 'in each concrete section 26, withfthetop edge 28 of each pipe substantial-ly flush with the top side 30 ofthe section. At the same time, mounting rods or studs 31 are arrangedvertically in centered relation through the tubes 27, with the lowerends 32 thereof embedded in `the 'concrete below Vthe tubes, 4as shown.The opposite yends l34 of the studs project upwardly from 'the blocksections 26 for base securing connection. When the concrete block isset, the tubes 27 a're filled about Vthe studs therein, with sui-tablegranular materiah'l'SSas sand, and then a finish ory gi'ou'ting `layery36 fof -s'uita'ble grouting material capable of firm bonding to the topsurface 30 of the concrete block, is applied on each block section 26 toprovide a base flange receiving surface in the mounting of the basenumber 11 on the block. The material of the grouting layer may be asuitable aggregate including iron particles, known in the art. Beforeforming the finish layer 36, each stud 31 is supplied with a sleeve 38of relatively soft material, extending along the stud shank over a partof its exposed length, as along the portion 39, and over the stud shankportion 40 to be 3 surrounded by the finish layer 36, terminating onthev shank slightly inwardly of the end 28 of stud tube 27, as at 42.The sleeve 38 may be provided as a wrapping on the shank, of materialsuch as burlap, asbestos, soft rope or the like.

In applying the finish or grouting layer 36 on each foundation portion26, the layer is thickened at 43 intermediate its length, to provide araised portion or boss constituting the base locating element 16hereinbefore indicated. The boss elements 16 on the opposite finishlayers 36 of the foundation, are so located longitudinally thereon thatin mounting disposition of the base member 11 to seat the base flanges18 on the foundation surface layers 36, these bosses are received in therecesses 22 of flange elements 15 and cooperate therewith to determinethe proper or desired mounted position of the base member on thefoundation. Thus the co-acting elements 15-16 on the opposite sides ofthe base member, serve not only as locating means for assuring properpositionment of the base member on the foundation, but as anchor meanspreventing misalignment or other bodily displacements of the base memberboth longitudinally and laterally relative to the foundation portions26. In order to facilitate full cooperating engagement of the .elements15-16, each boss 16 is marginally tapered as indicated at 44 in Fig. 3and at 46 in Fig. 2, while the cooperating recess 22 of flange element15 has its marginal side wall 47 tapered in matching relation to thetaper of the boss. The tapering of the locating elements permitswedge-seating of the base elements 15 on the bosses 16, to enhance theanchoring function of these elements.

The relative spacing of the studs 31 is related to the relative spacingof the apertured bosses 19 on the flanges 18 of base member 11, suchthat in mounting the base on the foundation, the exposed ends 34 of thestuds extend freely through the boss apertures 48 and upwardly beyondthe bosses for threaded reception of the securing or hold-down nuts 50,the latter when drawn up firmly bearing on the bosses to clamp or securethe base member in place on the foundation.

Thus the engine or other apparatus, through its base member 11, ispositioned on and secured in place upon the foundation structure of theimproved character now described. It will appear now that the basemounting studs 31 are arranged so that each over an intermediate lengththereof, as from the concrete-anchored end 32 upwardly through the tube27 and through the layer 36, is spaced from the foundation materialincluding layer 36, and is laterally supported by material havinglimited yieldability. The latter material in the example shown, isconstituted by the sand 35 and the soft sleeve 38, which permit limitedfiexure of the stud laterally relative to the foundation structure toaccommodate relative expansion and contraction of the base member 11 andthe foundation structure including the raised portion 26 and finishlayers 36 thereof. By affording such limited flexure of the studs, thedisadvantages hereinbefore mentioned, are practically avoided oreliminated.

By providing a single set of co-acting base locating elements, as and16, at each side of the base member 11 as shown in the present example,and locating the sets near the longitudinal center of the base flanges,proper mounting location of the base member relative to the foundationmay be more readily and easily obtained, particularly in instances offoundation mounting of comparatively large engines or the like.Nevertheless, it is to be understood that the two sets of locatingelements may be disposed near either end of the base member or anywhereintermediate the base ends, and that more than one set may be employedon each side of the base member, if desired or as particularinstallation conditions may require. However, it may be pointed out herethat the presently preferred provision of but two sets located near thecenter of the base member as herein shown and described, offers theadvantage of center-anchoring of the base member which tends toconstrain base expansion and contraction to the base lengths on eachside of the anchoring and positioning sets, thus reducing flexing strainon the several studs. It is to be noted further and as indicated in Fig.l, that each flange element 15 may extend to the outer or exposedlongitudinal margin 51 of the flange with the recess 22 of the elementopen at the margin 51 as shown, so that firm base locatinginterengagement of the elements 15 and 16 may be observed.

Having shown and described one embodiment of the present invention, whatit is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent is:

In combination a metal base member for base mounted apparatus as aninternal combustion engine, the base member being provided withoppositely disposed longitudinal mounting flanges and each of saidflanges having a transversely `directed recessed portion near thelongitudinal center of each flange and a longitudinally disposeddownwardly tapered portion along the inner edge of each of said flanges,a formed concrete foundation block structure providing mounting portionsreceiving the mounting flanges of said base member, each such mountingportion of the block including a projection extending inwardly of therecessed portion of each associated base member mounting flangecooperating therewith, aligning the base member on the block structureand constraining the same against relative longitudinal and outwardlytransverse movement in the horizontal plane, said metal mounting basefurther including a plurality of integral upstanding apertured bossesspaced along said flange, a plurality of stud elements each having oneend portion anchored in the block structure and each having the otherend extending from the block and through the aperture of a correspondingupstanding boss of the mounting flange of the base member, meansengaging the protruding end of said stud elements and securing said basemember to the block structure to preclude movement of said base membervertically of the longitudinal dimension of said block and to therebycooperate with said recessed flange means to hold said base member tothe block member against movement longitudinally and outwardly, andyieldable spacing means References Cited in the file of this patentUNITED STATES PATENTS 596,280 Short Dec. 28, 1897 932,443 CalantarientsAug. 31, 1909 2,129,932 Huddleston Sept. 13, 1938 2,342,181 Crom Feb.22, 1944 2,625,815 Black Jan. 20, 1953

